Red Sox Notebook

BEN BADLER If the All-star game were to be played today, Nomar Garciaparra might not make the American League team. Baltimore Orioles shortstop Mike Bordick, as well as many other previously mediocre hitters, are having field days at the plate this year. Bordick is hitting .344 with 32 RBIs, seven home runs, and an astounding .594 slugging percentage. Darin Erstad and David Segui are one-two in the batting title race. Last year, Erstad hit .253 with 13 home runs. This year, Erstad is hitting .373 and already has six homers. Minnesota Twins outfielder Matt Lawton, who last year hit .259 with 54 RBIs, is hitting .359 with 31 RBIs. Brad Fullmer, who hit .277 with nine home runs a year ago for the Montreal Expos, is now hitting .339 with seven homers for the Toronto Blue Jays. Frank Thomas has emerged from two seasons of frustration to become one of the league leaders in slugging average, on-base percentage, batting average and hits. Orioles second baseman Delino DeShields has already broken his stolen base total of last year (11) this year (12), and has raised his batting average from .264 to .331. Mike Bordick   Garciaparra With so many players overachieving in the American League, and since every team has to have at least one representative in the all-star game (the Sox are set with Pedro Martinez), Garciaparra may find himself out of the game this year. Alex Rodriguez is a lock for the All-Star game in Atlanta, Georgia this year, and if Bordick keeps up his pace, he might find himself in the game too. Unless the Joe Torre, this year’s American League manager, decides to take three shortstops, then Derek Jeter, Omar Vizquel and Garciaparra could all be left home for the All-star break. Neither Garciaparra nor Jeter will be able to do much about it for the next 15 days, as both will be on the disabled list for that time. However, there is a chance that Bordick will wake-up from his fantasy dream season, and return to his old “defensive specialist” title, thus leaving the gates open for Garciaparra and/or Jeter. Even if by some chance Garciaparra does not make the all-star team this year, Boston will be well represented. Derek Lowe is making a bona fide case to represent the Red Sox this year. Lowe is fifth in the league this year with eight saves, and he has a microscopic earned run average of 0.79. Carl Everett has made a solid campaign for the MVP award this year, with a .333 batting average, 12 home runs and a .719 slugging percentage. Jason Varitek also has a good chance of representing Boston in the All-star game. However, Yankees catcher Jorge Posada has emerged this year as one of the league’s best catchers, along with Varitek and Ivan Rodriguez. While Rodriguez is a lock to make the team, Varitek and Posada may find themselves in a Jeter-Nomar-like race to make the All-Star team this year.

Nixon has a chance of being an All-star this year If the rule didn’t state that every team had to have at least one player in the All-star game, then Trot Nixon’s chances to make the American League squad would increase signifigantly. The Red Sox won’t have to scrape like other teams will this year just to find someone to represent them in the All-star game this year. Greg Vaughn, Juan Encarnacion, and Lawton may find themselves on the team merely because of this rule. Nixon, who is hitting .336 with five home runs and 18 RBIs, may get snubbed for that reason. Boston will also be represented well by former Massachusetts natives Tom Glavine and Jeff Bagwell. Trade rumors galore There is a reported deal between the Red Sox and Colorado Rockies that would send pitchers Brian Rose, Tomokazu Ohka, and infielder Donnie Sadler to Colorado for outfielder Jeffrey Hammonds, starting pitcher Scott Karl and reliever Rick Croushore or Brian Bohanon. The Red Sox would prefer to get either starter Pedro Astacio or reliever Gabe White, but the Rockies are still not sure that they would want to give up either one … The Red Sox have reportedly contacted the Houston Astros about the availability of pitcher Jose Lima. Lima, 27, is struggling this year in the Astros new stadium, Enron Field. Lima was 21-10 a year ago with a 3.53 ERA, and had another good season before that, too. The Astros Lima has endured tremendous struggles at Enron Field this year. need pitching, and said they are interested in Rose and Ohka, both of whom could start for the Astros right now. The Astros are looking to deal Lima, as many believe -- Astros GM Gerry Hunsicker included, feel Lima he has convinced himself that he can’t pitch in home run-friendly Enron Field … Red Sox GM Dan Duquette recently scoffed at a deal that the Philadelphia Phillies offered involving Ron Gant and Jeff Frye, although the Phillies also expected the Sox to throw in some minor leaguers as well. Duquette said that the Red Sox had very little interest in Gant in the first place. More trade rumors The Red Sox are not interested in Tigers outfielder Juan Gonzalez, despite phoney speculative reports … Don’t be surprised to see the Red Sox contact the Oakland A’s near the trading deadline as to who they might want in exchange for outfielder Matt Stairs. The A’s may opt to deal Stairs,

who is trying to fight through his knee problems so that he won’t have to have surgery on it until the end of the season. If the A's drop out of playoff contention, the Red Sox may pursue Matt Stairs. Duquette is familiar with Stairs. Stairs played with the Montreal Expos in 1992 and ’93 when Duquette was the Expos GM. Duquette went on to become the GM of the Red Sox, and later signed Stairs to play with the Sox in ’95. Stairs later left for Oakland, but Duquette would like to get him back, even though Stairs hits left-handed, and the Red Sox need a right-handed bat ... The New York Yankees, in dire need of a left fielder and a designated hitter, are interested in acquiring Jose Canseco from the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. The Devil Rays are concerned that they will have no place to play Canseco when the team makes its move to the National League next year, and is thus offering Canseco to the highest bidder. The Yankees are also talking to the St. Louis Cardinals about acquiring outfielder Ray Lankford and two prospects for pitchers Andy Pettite, Mike Stanton and outfielder Ricky Ledee. The Cardinals like the deal because it gives them another solid starter in Pettite, a quality reliever in Stanton, and it frees up a spot in the outfield for youngster J.D. Drew to play ever day … The Chicago White Sox are looking to trade Bill Simas, a right-handed reliever, to another team for a middle infielder. The White Sox have reportedly contacted the Red Sox about trading Simas for a middle infielder, and that infielder likely would be Sadler. The Chicago Cubs are considered to be the front-runner for Simas at this point. Remember James Baldwin? When the White Sox were trying to shop around pitcher James Baldwin, teams shied away because of his salary, and his slightly better than mediocre record during the past four seasons. One of the many teams rumored to have been offered Baldwin, or in talks with the White Sox right-hander this offseason was the Red Sox. Baldwin is 6-0 this season with a 2.34 ERA … The Red Sox recalled left-handed reliever Tim Young from the AAA Pawtucket Red Sox on May 8. Young had been dominating in Pawtucket this season. He had thrown 10.2 innings while maintaining perfection for over nine innings, and left the Pawsox with an ERA of 1.69. In three innings in Boston this year, Young has pitched three innings and has allowed no runs … John Valentin is expected to join the club after it returns home from its current road trip. The third baseman hass been out almost the entire season due to tendinitis in his left knee. Valentin will almost undoubtedly not perform a rehabilitation stint in the minors before returning to Boston next week from the extended spring training camp in Fort Myers.